Day Off
by Exactlywhat
Summary: Jazz thinks Prowl needs a day off. Prowl, surprisingly, agrees.


For kkcliffy, who was having a bad day and needed a pick-me-up. She requested some Prowl/Jazz fluff, so.. :D Here it is, and I hope it cheers you up a bit!

. . .oOo.

Prowl vented heavily as he picked up yet another datapad. The things were never-ending. Always more, waiting for him, right when he thought they were done...

"Hey, Prowler- Whoa. How many'a those've ya gone through t'day?"

Prowl glanced up to see his bondmate standing in the doorway, face solemn. "Two hundred and twenty four, Jazz. And I still have almost one hundred to go before I am done for the day."

"Primus, th' things breed like bunnies," Jazz muttered, then shook his helm. "Well, never mind that. Yer takin' a break."

"Jazz, no, I have-"

"I don' care. Th' reports can wait. They'll be here t'morra. I'll get Ratchet t' make ya, if ya don' come now," he said warningly, eying his bondmate through his visor.

Prowl glanced from the report in his hand to Jazz, back and forth, then vented as he set it down. Jazz was right. It would be there tomorrow, and, as loath as he was to admit it, he needed a break.

"Now, there's a good mech," Jazz said with a wide grin as Prowl stood.

The Praxian just shook his helm and twitched his doorwings in a stretch as he stepped around the desk and walked up to his bondmate.

"Now, what d'ya wanna do?"

"I thought you to have something planned," Prowl answered, blinking. "I have nothing in particular in mind myself."

Frowning faintly, Jazz cocked his helm to the side. "Well... Ah guess we could go explorin'?"

"Exploring?"

"Yeah. Ah mean, most'a th' land 'round the Arc's been document'd, but Ah haven't gone out there much, and Ah know _you_ haven't."

"True," he admitted with a small nod. "Very well, then. Lead the way, Jazz."

A mischievous grin on his face, Jazz danced away, Prowl trailing after.

. . .oOo.

"I thought you said you had nothing planned?" Prowl said, half-question, half-statement, as he looked at his bondmated with one optic ridge raised.

A large blanked had been spread over the grass, with a basket of energon cubes set in the middle.

"Well, Ah didn' have anythin' planned. Got Bee t' set this up jus' a minute 'go. Knew ya hadn' had energon yet, 'n' figured we could have some t'gether. Ah know ya haven' had a picnic b'fore, thought it might be fun."

"That is... very thoughtful, Jazz."

The saboteur smirked. "Ah'm yer bondmate, Prowler. 'S mah job."

"Indeed? Then perhaps, tomorrow, you can help me with those reports I am not doing right now?"

Jazz shivered. "Ugh. Ah guess if ya really want meh to, I could help a bit."

Prowl chuckled lightly as he sat down on the rug, legs crossed, and reached for a cube of energon. "I know you hate it, Jazz. I can manage on my own."

"Nah, Prowler. Ah dragged ya out here, Ah might's well help ya catch back up t'morra. An' anyways, Ah'll be spendin' time wit'cha. It'll be worth it."

Smiling gently, Prowl watched as his fellow black and white sat next to him. "I thank you, Jazz."

"Nothin' t' thank, Prowler. Now, lets have some energon! Sides told me his latest batch is real good."

"Really, now. I thought I... took care of that problem."

The mischievous grin was back. "Ya know him better'n that, Lover."

"Indeed I do. Unfortunately."

Jazz just smiled happily and lifted his cube in a salute to his bondmate.

. . .oOo.

They sat there, drinking their energon, talking, and simply reveling in the peace of their little corner of the Earth for hours.

Then the Dinobots came out to play, and the black and whites decided that it might be a good idea to get out of the way.

Jazz subspaced the blanket and basket, and the two wandered down the far side of the hill, toward the forest. They held hands as they slowly ambled through the trail that had been worn down by the more nature-loving mechs – namely, Trailbreaker, Hound, and, occasionally, their lover, Mirage.

It was a long, winding path, with many forks and side paths. They stayed on the main trail, though, slowly walking through the woods, stopping occasionally to, as Jazz said, 'smell the roses.'

The path, they found, led to a small stream. It was slow-moving, trailing its way lazily through the woods. There was a small pool near where the trail emerged, formed by a beaver's dam. Pond lilies covered the surface, the occasional flower standing out brightly against the dark pads and deep water. The two bondmates sat on the shore. Jazz dipped his pedes in the warm water, and they both watched as the ripples made the lily pads sway.

"Ah can see why 'Raj likes comin' out here wit' Hound and TB," Jazz said after a moment and leaned slowly into Prowl's side.

Prowl lifted his arm and draped it over the saboteur's shoulders. "Indeed. It is a very peaceful place."

"Not t' mention romantic," the black and white Polyhexan said with a smirk.

The Praxian chuckled again. "Of course. How could I forget romantic?"

"'Cause you're a stuck-up tight-aft who needs t' relax," Jazz said, smirk widening. "An' Ah think Ah can do somethin' 'bout that."

"Do you now."

"Yes, Ah do."

Jazz snuggled closer, smirk morphing into a blissful grin as his normally reserved bondmate allowed it. Lifting one hand behind the Praxian's back, he stroked easily along Prowl's closest doorwing, fingers tracing long, delicate strokes on the smooth panes of metal. Prowl melted into the contact, engine steadying into a rumbling purr.

"See?" Jazz said after a moment. "Ah can get'cha t' relax."

"Mm..." Prowl hummed, and turned slightly, presenting his doorwings for easier access.

Snickering, Jazz continued expertly stroking the doorwings offered to him, and Prowl, despite what some members of the Arc crew would think, did relax.

. . .oOo.

They stayed at the pond until well after sunset. Stars were glimmering above them. The moon, a bright half-circle in the sky shone down on them, casting its silvery light over their armor and the land around them.

Jazz had left off stroking Prowl's doorwings some time ago, and the two simply cuddled together, talking softly or simply listening to the quiet around them.

Eventually, Jazz stood and pulled his bondmate up with him.

"Jazz, what...?"

"Jus'... trust meh, Prowler. Here, put yer hand here, on my back, an' hold my other hand like this... Right!"

Prowl laughed softly. "Jazz, you know I can't dance."

"Sure ya can!"

"Jazz..."

"Ah ain't listenin'! Prowler, yer learnin' how t' dance. This's a pretty simple one. A waltz. Human dance, simple steps. Look. Ya step back wit' yer right leg, 'n' Ah step forward wit' mah left, then we step t' th' side, 'n' then Ah step back wit' mah right, an ya step forward wit' yer left, an' then we step t' th' side 'gain."

Slowly, hesitantly, Prowl followed along, moving in a stilted circle with his fellow black and white. When he tripped, Jazz chuckled softly and started counting.

"_One_, two three, _one_, two three..."

After a few moments, Prowl's steps slowly evened out, and he no longer stumbled. His bondmate smiled. "See, now ya've got it. Ain't that hard."

"Mm... Perhaps..."

Jazz snickered and leaned a tiny bit closer.

. . .oOo.

Hours later, they pulled back up to the Arc. Light filtered faintly from deep within, and, as they walked in, Prowl allowed Jazz to catch his hand again. They strode down the hall, hands swinging between them, small smiles on their faces.

Thankfully, nobody but Red Alert saw them as they returned to their quarters, and he was well accustomed to their comings and goings and 'strange' behavior when unobserved.

They reached their quarters and entered it. Once again, only Red Alert saw when they kissed softly as the door whooshed closed.

No one else saw what happened after that, save for themselves and Primus above.


End file.
